The Pitchfork Pie Stand became famous! (And then the business grew too big to sustain it.)

Watch this time-lapse video (showing only one hour out of the day) and you will see what we mean. I get tired just watching it! This doesn’t even show you the behind the scenes of cleaning, shopping, prepping, baking and more it takes to run a pie stand.

FAQ

Do you mean closed for the season or closed forever?
I started the pie stand “for fun” in 2010 and it grew and grew and grew over the next four years until we couldn’t contain it in the little American Gothic House kitchen any longer. I looked at many possible solutions to manage the volume (buy a commercial oven, bake off-site in a bigger kitchen, rent a store front), but first and foremost I am a writer and it was never my goal to grow the baking side this big. My true mission is to encourage others to make and share their own homemade pie, as I believe the act of giving makes the world a better place. At the pie stand I was selling, not giving, and I’ve always been uncomfortable with that. Therefore the best solution — for me personally — was to stop doing the pie stand completely. Then, in September (2014), I moved out of the American Gothic House. So, yes, we are closed for good.

What are you going to do next?
I’m currently living in Los Angeles, near my parents, and working on my next book. What? You didn’t know I was a writer? I’ve written two books. “Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Pie” was published in 2012 and my cookbook, “Ms. American Pie” (filled with essays, photos & of course recipes), was released April 2014. Both have made bestseller lists! My next book is about my four years living in the American Gothic House and all the crazy misadventures of living in an internationally recognizable tourist attraction in rural Iowa.

What is happening with the American Gothic House now that you moved out? Can I rent it?
The house is now open to the public for tours. It will no longer be rented out as a private residence. (I ruined it for everyone!) It will no longer be furnished or be filled with the scent of baking pie. I miss my house every single day and will continue to cherish my memories of living there for the rest of my life.

Do you still sell pies? Can we call and order one? Will you make pies for our special event?
Oh, thanks for asking, but no. I never took orders outside of the pie stand, and now I am not in the business of selling pies at all. Buy my cookbook or take a pie class from me and I will teach you how to make your own. I believe the world needs more pie. Especially homemade pie. I promise you, when you make your own pie and share it with someone and you will experience the win-win joy that comes from giving and sharing.